The unmolested panels for my enclosure.

Two sheets of 3/4 inch oak veneer ply. Ahhhhhhh . . . lovely. Just watch me hack 'em up!!!

I'm currently leaning toward black walnut highlights and copper filigree. Perhaps some smoked glass as well.

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Made an LCD circuitry mask. Pics are self-expanatory - I think. Painted it black of course. Simply tacked it together and then firmed it up with CA glue. Gotta love CA glue!

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There have been a few notable pro fold builders having problems with focus. Got me worried.

I intended to do a precise mock-up this weekend but ran out of time.

I threw together a shlocky mock-up anyway.

Here it is.

Scaffolding rolled into position at distance from wall to match planned throw. Masking tape holding pro triplet at decent alititude. A bit scary. Lightgate about where it belongs. Quart paint cans held fresnels pretty much where they belonged but intruded into the light path. LCD sled plopped right down on top of fresnel sandwich (not shown in picture). Iris was not fully open so whole LCD wasn't illuminated. And - get this - I held the mirror by hand.

Nope - this ain't no precise mock-up by a long shot boys!!!

Nothing at all optimum about this setup!

Pics of the wall upon which I projected under both ambient light and using a flash.

DISCLAIMER: Note that I ran a level adjustment on the test pics posted here. To the best of my recollection they were not as dim as they looked before I adjusted them but they were not quite as bright as they appear here either.

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The pseudo-screenies. See disclaimer in post immediately above.

I could achieve what appeared to be good focus over the entire "screen" but as I said I was holding the mirror by hand AND I was using the wrong side of the mirror. I haven't removed the protective film from the mirror and couldn't justify doing so for this totally crappy test. I could detect no signs of a double image but my vision was blurry from being up past my bedtime and drinking too much Dew anyway.

FWIW:

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Good work,Durachko!
Nice bit of research. Makes me feel a bit more hopeful !
Your pj is coming together VERY niceley too!
I like the cooling channels,very neat.
Cheers P

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNNN Durachko!!!!! Lookin real good. I've been out for awhile with vacation and everything, but I'm back and you have been busy! Nice results for a "crappy test." Cant wait till you get a real test going.

You spelled that wrong. There're only 25 A's in DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNNNNNNNNNN.

I'm still hoping you solve your troubles arrik!!!

I did a life size mock up and all I could tell is it will be OK, If it will be perfect will have to wait until the screen and pj are finished.

Is that the size you want your screen?

Great work so far, did you ever think of making the mockups with legeos? gota get some help from the kids you know.


You have been bussy!

Yeah, it was probably a futile test in a way.

I'm shooting for a 100" diagonal, 4:3 screen. Gonna try one from Lumenlab although I had originally planned on going for a higher gain Dalite.

Congrats on your first projection Durachko. I like the attention to detal you put into it.

Is that a perpendicular bulb light gate to panel I see?

are those 20's???

Thanks Sim. Yes, it's perpendicular in homage to you. Good eye! Theoretically, I can change it to parallel - but practically speaking it turned out it won't be so easy.

comp_atkins: Yep - $20. Don't know where I got that. It won't last long! (The reply picture didn't show up. I was very confused for awhile as to what your question meant!)

You go "Money Grip"!!!
You have been a busy boy in the past week.
I got reall busy at work and missed all the fun. Keep it up!!!
Things are looking real good. esp the "crappy" pseudo-screenies.

Forgot to point somethin' out.

This is the basement room where I will put the projector just "behind" the hidden pole. Throw around 11' 3".

Would've loved a "darker" room but there's that WAF with which to contend.

I think it'll be fine.

Getting itchy to finish this thing up now. I think I should not have done that mock-up. That really got me juiced.

What I'd really love to ultimately do is take luxmeter readings with a bunch of different tweaks (arc +/- small increments behind and in front of the rear fresnel focal point, ditto with triplet-to-front-fresnel distance, etc., including vignetting measurements and enter it all into Excel and plot things out to share with everyone. Could make for an interesting bit of data to play with and visualize graphically. Perhaps this has been done but I've not seen it all in one place yet?

Anyway, the pic describing my projection room:

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I can see why. There is some serious promise there! Once you get a tatse of it, its just too much.
So did you get the "Big Wow!" the first time you lit it up?
The first time I saw the windows logo on my gargage door it was all I could do to keep from breaking into fits and doing the "Its Alive!" routine from Frankenstien..

actually, come to think of it, I did do that....

SJ

I halfta be honest and say I didn't get the "Big Wow!". As much as I wanted to be amazed I couldn't be after seeing some of the totally-blow-me-away results others have gotten. And now Simul8r has a drive-in movie size projection on the side of his freakin' house!! Geez!!!!!

But it was very, very satisfying to finally see something on the wall. I can definitely understand where this is going to go. More, bigger, brighter, pant, pant, drool, slobber.

It's truly the mother-of-all, black-hole, DIY project to end all DIY projects project. Wow! I'm likin' how I got three projects in one sentence.

Shoulda' gotten a movie of your "It's Alive" dance!

This whole fresnel alignment thing has me in a huff. I shoulda' known I wouldn't be satisfied with my lame idea to just get 'em together and forget 'em.

Gonna make them adjustable - the way they should be.

Take some long machine screws and permanently fasten a washer onto them.

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Machine two slots in each fresnel like so:

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Precisely drill some holes in my fresnel sandwich frame for the screws to ride in.

Slot the "outer" end of the washer/screw adjusters to accept a small, flat blade screwdriver.

Assemble the whole thing with the washers riding in the slots in the fresnels.

Then - theoretically - I'll be able to precisely adjust the fresnels and they'll be free to expand and contract within the frame without affecting alignment. Well, that's provided they both always have the same exact thermal profile. I don't think a few microns is gonna hurt me here.

I'm thinkin' Dremel with those abrasive discs that have a weave through them to mill the slots. I've used those on plastics with great success in the past. I'll rig up a jig to hold everything and have a vacuum and/or blower going to keep most of the dust away from the fresnels.

Any suggestions on milling those slots appreciated.

If ya spot any obvious flaws let me know too!

As I was getting ready to post this I thought - Why not just make ONE adjustable?

Then I thought I have to "fix" it in place somehow anyway so I think making them BOTH adjustable is the way to go.

It might be easier just to seperate then a liltle bit.

Dj

Okay, okay, okay. How gosh dang critical is alignment? They are separated (gapped) by around 1.5 cm as is. Does it make ANY difference to have them really well aligned or not? I needs ta know. How much slop can I tolerate? Has anyone truly quantified how much light loss one may experience in relation to the magnitude of fresnel misalignment?

Sure, intuitively I'd say what's the big deal? Close enough is close enough.

But then Sim tells me he's pretty AR about aligning things - and look at his results! Can't argue with them.

I'd prefer NOT to fiddle with me frezzies but - then again - I want primo results.

How'd you align yours DAZZZLA? How close to "on center" would you say they are?

LOL There not centred at all. In fact I can shift then up or down 80mm or so and side ways about 3mm. I can’t see much of a difference when I jiggle them when they are close to being lined up. If they had no gap between them then that’s another story.

DJ

Whoa. Thanks! You've set me free.

yeah, i gotta agree a bit there.. there's definatly some slop there than if you mess with the frensel placement will make little to no difference in image quality. that is not to say you dont want to have everything perfectly alighned just to say they are

Today is Take yer Kid to Work Day.

I got lassoed into giving a "Magic Science" presentation.

Thirty minutes long @ 8:30AM.

I think it went well. Used a Harry Potter theme.

Including the Procrastimaximus Curse, Entubulus Spectralla demo, Inflamma Rapidama Totallicus charm, Azurus Alarmus spell, Yurhinspecimeenacus Alarmus spell, Eadipus Wrex charm (my personal favorite), Slytherin Slughtraiyl incantation, and an expungement curse.

Almost all my great names went over even the adult heads. :angry:

Well . . . it was early in the morning. One little girl - at least - was on top of the whole Harry Potter thing.

Shake-sensitive, color changing liquids.

Slime demo.

Lots of FIRE stuff!!! (Only minor singing of eyebrows and other body hair.)

BIG fireball finale.

However, I - like the idiot I am - picked up a freaking white-hot Petri dish and think I branded my right thumb for all of eternity! Even the guy helping me had no idea I was in extreme pain for the final 10 minutes of the presentation. My Jedi training must've worked.

It's finally calming down a little now.

Time for a stroll to the freezer for another ice pack.

Ahhhh, the things we do for our children. Saturday night before Easter had me with a glass of wine in one hand and a potato in the other....Bear with me...

Slicing the potato up, and using rattan skewers I fashioned large "wabbit feet" and proceeded to make muddy tracks from the pet door to the kitchen, where I "chawed" on a carrot and left it on the floor. The next day Cassie ( just turned 3...) comes down and looks at the hallway and then her mother asks her if she made the mess. The classic , trusting honesty of her saying "No, that was the Easter Bunny!" was just too good!

I think I have some pictures somewhere. Maybe I will post them in my plog for laughs...

Sorry to hear about your thumb, DC! Hope it gets better!

Eadipus Wrex...Thats so "classical"!

So you were serious about cleaning up those muddy wabbit pwints!?

Very nice!

Do I look like Im kidding?

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If that bugger EVER leaves tracks like that in MY castle I'll be gunnin' fer him!!!

WHAT A MESS!!!

it was SOOOOOO worth it. Cassie was priceless. Madison ( age 8 going on 29) sidled up to me in mid morning and said " Hmmm. Messy bunny eh dad? Especially since it didnt rain last night..."

Guess she's figured the santa clause thing too...sigh

One of the parents at my presentation (see above coupla' posts) tells me they got a great picture of my fireball demo! YES! I'll post it if I ever get it.

My thumb is practically like new today.

Hmmm, apparently SJ really DOES wear shorts ALL THE TIME!?!?

Now to business ---> this message is to everyone else on Lumenlab.

Do not under any circumstances bid against me on ebay for my fan controller or I'll spam/flame your plog!!!!

Happy Weekend.

Going back to the centering of the fres. I figured they should be precisely centered when I picked up the 2 and looked at a ceiling bulb in the garage through them. As I centered I saw how intense the bulb got, so, it took it from there. But, if there is room for some slop then I guess my compulsivenss must have gotten the best of me in this build.

Judging by the size of them paw prints that is one big wabbit!

Got a link?

I wuz outbid! :angry:

shhhhhhhh!!!! My little secret
bidtamer

Its free for 3 bids a week.
Works great

Ah! I've been using "www.auctionsniper.com". Nice services, huh?

Work clothes come off as soon as Im in the door. Then all I want is non-restrictive comfy clothes.
Problem is my legs seem to have about a 1.2 gain...
Sunlight? Tan? Not a chance. I have two colors pale blue and bright red.
I dont even go to the beach anymore.
Last time I was there some greenpeace members tried to roll me back into the ocean while chanting "save the beluga!"...

SJ

Its not so bad,SJ.I am the complete opposite,my nickname used to be earthworm jim.as I am so skinny!
I daren't wear shorts,or even my kids give me a hard time!!

I have a picture of me many, many years ago on a New England beach.

It is so bad I'll do my best to dig it up and post it.

elken could use it as a "pure white" standard!!!

Oh its not that Im fat. Im 6 feet and almost 19 stone. If it wasnt for the coating of hair, I would be blinding.
Sort of like an off white yeti...

Hehehehe. Man I am in SUCH a mood today!

SJ

Hope you all are having excellent days as well, especially you Durachko!

I am 6'2" and... 10.5 stone!

Now both of you,get on and do some work!!
P

Hmmm . . . I wonder how many stone I weigh?

Zalman cooler finally in stock at Newegg so I went ahead and blew my wad on a mobo, CPU, and the cooler.

Hey, there was a one day sale on the mobo so I saved at least a dollar or two!

I think SJ reminds me of my cousin Scott. I'll have to dig up a pic of him.

(Check the first page of this plog if you really want the details on the mobo and CPU.)

where, where, oh where, is this pure white standard,,, point me the direction it be,, NOW.....!!

You'll just have to wait.

(My wife claims she still has the pic but it'll take me awhile to get her to dig for it.)

Well, I messed up my math again...
A stone is 14 pounds.
For some reason I always get it stuck in my head that its 12 pounds.
So I actually weigh 16 stone. No wonder Pun15her thought I was fat! That would put my weight at 266. Trust me, Im not that heavy!

SJ

Okay, I'm a bit under 12 stone then. Yet another worthless piece of info taking up what little storage space remains in my tiny and dwindling brain.

Sorry SJ,I didn't mean to imply that you are fat.
I was just referring to the whale analogy earlier.
My bad.
P

Oh its okay! Man, if actually did weight that much, they wouldnt have tried to roll me back in. Hernias and the like....

My fault for getting the math wrong.
SJ

Durachko, that should for a very nice HTPC. You have good taste in chips...
Im an AMD man from way back.

HEY whats wrong with 266??
I think I'm O'fended
6'2" 270 and proud baby!!!

ok ok so I'm not proud of the 30 extra on my gut.

Back to my cave-----------maybe for a donut

Remdaddy: Not shur I ever told ya I luv yer signature line!

Ordered my mobo & CPU yesterday and it's comin' today! Now I need a projector.

Question for you real computer geniuses out there.

I bought a gig of memory from Crucial that was listed as compatible with my Asus A8N5X mobo.

Upon reading the mobo manual it states "Due to CPU limitation, DIMM modules with . . . double-sided x16 memory chips are not supported in this" mobo.

My DIMM modules are of a double-sided x16 configuration.

An online chat with a Crucial rep resulted in my being told the memory should work fine.

Can anybody answer this conclusively?